Douz is a town in southern Tunisia on the edge of the Sahara, where date-palm oases meet the dunes of the Grand Erg Oriental. The town is often regarded as a gateway to the sandy desert, with dunes beginning close to the built-up area and extending toward the wider Sahara. Palm groves provide a strong contrast to the surrounding dry landscape, while nearby Chott el-Jerid forms a vast salt depression with bright mineral surfaces and mirages.
Ogden, city, seat of Weber County, northern Utah, at the confluence of the Ogden and Weber rivers, near Salt Lake City; incorporated 1851. It is an industrial and transportation center. Major manufactures include aerospace equipment, high-technology products, and motor-vehicle products. Construction, tourism, Hill Air Force Base, and the Ogden Defense Depot are of economic importance. Ogden is the site of Weber State University (1889); the Ogden Tabernacle and Temple; the Daughters of Utah Pione
Wadi Bani Khalid is a major valley in Oman's Al Sharqiyah North Governorate, extending from the Hajar Mountains toward the desert landscapes of the Sharqiyah Sands. It is known for its year-round watercourses, pools, rocky gorges, and clusters of date palms. Unlike many wadis that can become dry, Wadi Bani Khalid retains flowing water in parts of its upper valley, creating a green contrast with the surrounding arid terrain.
Isalo National Park lies in southern Madagascar near the town of Ranohira, protecting about 81,540 hectares of sandstone massifs, deep canyons, grasslands, forests, and rocky plateaus. Its landscape has been shaped by erosion into unusual cliffs, ridges, gorges, and isolated rock formations. The park's semi-arid climate creates strong contrasts between dry open slopes and greener canyon floors, where streams support pockets of vegetation.